Enduring Influence

The centenary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) marks far more than a symbolic milestone for a socio-cultural organisation.

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It represents the coming of age of a network that has, over a hundred years, quietly reshaped the Indian public sphere, bridged the worlds of grassroots mobilisation and state power, and embedded its ideology deep within the structures of governance and society.

What began as a small gathering of disciplined volunteers in Nagpur has evolved into a sprawling, decentralised network whose reach extends across politics, education, welfare, and cultural life. Its stated mission has always been nation-building through character formation and discipline.

But its growth has also paralleled a steady infusion of its worldview into mainstream politics, most visibly through the rise of political leadership that has emerged from its ranks. Today, the organisation is no longer a background influence; it is woven into the fabric of the Indian state.